★ A new masterpiece of mystery fiction by Song Ying, the leading figure of Chinese social mystery fiction, following his acclaimed work "Apricot's Revenge"!
★ His novel "Apricot's Revenge" was selected for the "Best Mystery & Thriller of 2016" list by the prestigious US Library Journal. Song Ying remains the only Chinese author to date to be included on this list! The US Kirkus Reviews praised it as "a new type of novel with Chinese characteristics"!
★ Features one of the most bizarre "nursery rhyme murder" plots in the world of mystery fiction, comparable to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Ellery Queen's There Was an Old Woman, and Seishi Yokomizo's The Inugami Clan (often associated with rhyme-based plots).
★ The story revolves around the rise of an unscrupulous doctor, exposing the darkest depths of human nature. A sinister nursery rhyme is used to invoke the sacred "Hippocratic Oath." Absurdity masks truth, and humor conceals deadly intent. Through strictly logical and precise deduction, it guides readers through a labyrinth of mystery.
★ This book is the first installment of the author's "White Trilogy"! The series is known for its gripping suspense and tight logic, perfectly embodying his characteristic blend of literary depth and scientific rigor.
★ English translation samples available.

"White Trilogy" consists of 3 books:
White Mist (Nursery Rhyme Murders & Medicine)
White Giant Tower (The Darkness of Academia)
White Vortex (Plagiarism and Feuds in the Literary World)

On New Year's Eve of the millennium, an explosion rocks Unit 1, Building 2 of the faculty apartments at Xihua East Road Medical University, leaving one dead and one injured. A card left at the explosion site bears a strange nursery rhyme: "On the thirtieth night, a big bright moon, / A little thief sneaks out to steal a water vat. / The deaf man hears his footsteps sound, / The blind man sees him climb the wall around..." The police are baffled. The case is shrouded in mystery, and the investigation hits a deadlock. Unexpectedly, six months later, two more murders occur, each crime scene also marked by a strange nursery rhyme.

The eerie nursery rhymes hang over everyone like a curse from the god of death. Solving the puzzle is now urgent. Renowned journalist Nie Feng teams up with the police to trace the origin of this deadly game.

Song Ying

A National Class-A Writer in China and a pivotal pioneer of Chinese social mystery fiction, he is respected for the rigorousness of his craft and his profound insight into society and history.
He is the author of six full-length novels, including "Apricot's Revenge" "The White Giant Tower" and "The White Fog" ,his works have won numerous national awards.
His representative work "Apricot's Revenge",is widely recognized as "China's first social mystery novel". Its international achievements are particularly notable: the English edition was published by the globally renowned St. Martin’s Press and was selected for the Library Journal's "Best Mystery & Thriller of 2016" list. Song Ying is the first and, to date, the only Chinese author to receive this international honor, which fully demonstrates the transcendent narrative power and literary value of his work across cultures and borders.

Prologue /001
Chapter 1: New Year's Eve /003
Chapter 2: The Dead Man's Message /020
Chapter 3: Blind Spot /044
Chapter 4: Terror of the "Lily" /057
Chapter 5: The Third "Gift Bomb" /071
Chapter 6: Debate Over Merging the Cases /082
Chapter 7: Three Points in a Line /100
Chapter 8: Searching for a Needle in a Haystack /129
Chapter 9: Closing the Net /150
Chapter 10: The "Topsy-Turvy Song" Nursery Rhyme /178
Chapter 11: Sudden Interrogation /206
Chapter 12: In the Courtroom /228
Epilogue /252